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Many people believe that the first established home of the Dalmatian
is Dalmatia, a section of Yugoslavia that was once part of Austria.
References have been made to the breed since the mid 18th century, but
its roots almost certainly go back a long time before that.

The oldest activity that the Dalmatian is known for is coaching. Early
engravings and drawings show spotted dogs accompanying Egyptian
chariots. The size, stamina and guard dog abilities made them popular
with the English aristocracy to accompany horse drawn carriages. Their
size allowed them to fit under the rear axle of the coach, where they
often ran. Their stamina allowed them to keep up with the horses and
guard dog tendencies allowed the owners to leave the coach without
worrying about their possessions. It was often said that a coach was
better left in the care of the dogs than the coachman, who could
easily be distracted by highway robbers.

The Dalmatian is most famous for being the fire house dog. This
probably started in London where they were first acquired as
"ratters", to kill vermin in London's stables and firehouses. Soon
they were running alongside the fire engine. To this day, many
firehouses in Great Britain and the USA have a Dalmatian, although
now, they are more likely to been seen riding on the fire truck
instead of along side it.

The breed's first appearance in a dog show was in Great Britain in
1860. The first American show appearance was in 1926, when the
Dalmatian Club of American held its first National Specialty Show.
__________________________________________________ _______________

Special Medical Problems

Hereditary deafness

Hereditary deafness is a condition prevalent in Dalmatians. This is a
polygenic problem, which means that it CANNOT currently be bred out of
the breed. ALL Dalmatian bloodlines suffer from deafness. There are
some individual dogs who produce few deaf puppies in their offspring.
Approximately 8% of the breed are born completely deaf, and another
22% to 24% are born with unilateral hearing, or hearing in one ear
only. Normal puppies will have hearing in both ears, known as
bilateral normal hearing. All puppies are born with their ear canals
closed; these should be open at 12-16 days. The deafness is
characterized by the permanent deterioration by the age of six weeks
in the organs of Corti, the group of nerve cells inside the cochlea
that detect sound. The loss cannot be reversed or corrected.

All Dalmatian puppies should be definitively tested for deafness.
Stomping on the floor, clapping hands or rattling keys make for
unreliable hearing tests, since deaf pups can pick up the vibrations.
A deaf puppy will compensate for the hearing loss, thereby making it
difficult to detect. A scientific test, known as the BAER (Brainstem
Auditory Evoked Response) test, should be administered, in order to
objectively determine the hearing status. This test may be done after
five weeks of age. It measures the brain response to auditory stimuli
in each ear. The test can detect any impairment or loss of function in
either ear. The equipment required to complete the BAER test is
expensive and is generally located at veterinary teaching schools or
through specialty vets. It is not available in all areas. If a breeder
tells you this is the case in your area, confirm it by calling other
breeders and/or some local vets. Since there are about 3 unilaterally
deaf Dals for every totally deaf Dal, the BAER test is important for
identifying dogs that appear to hear normally but that would, unknown
to the breeder, pass on a genetic defect.

A reputable breeder will know that BAER testing is the only reliable
method of testing hearing. The breeder should have the test conducted
on both the sire and dam as well as all the puppies in every litter. A
reputable breeder will also not sell or give away deaf puppies. A
written purchase contract between the puppy buyer and the seller is
highly recommended when you purchase any pup. Buyers of pups that have
not been BAER tested should insist that the purchase contract have
specific conditions for dealing with a deaf puppy. The contract should
allow the buyer to exchange the pup for one who can hear or your money
should be refunded.

The adoption of deaf dogs is a controversial issue. Some deaf dogs do
live long lives as beloved family members (as one of our faq authors
can attest) and some deaf dogs do develop dangerous behavior problems
which force the owner to make the difficult choice between controlling
the deaf dog's environment 100% of the time or euthanizing the dog (to
which another of our faq authors can attest).

Deaf dogs can be trained to respond to hand signals, but because the
dog can only see the signals if he/she is looking at you, deaf dogs
must be kept under strict control at all times. In addition, deaf dogs
cannot hear danger sounds such as car horns honking and require extra
security measures for their own safety.

The Dalmatian Club Of America strongly opposes placement of completely
deaf puppies, a stance that is supported by many experienced breeders
and by some former owners of deaf dogs. This position is taken because
these groups feel that deaf dogs are more likely to develop behavior
problems and, in particular, bite humans, than are hearing dogs. They
feel that deaf puppies should not be sold or given away, but
euthanized as soon as their deafness is confirmed. There has been no
scientific study which can give guidance as to whether deaf dogs are
more likely to bite than are hearing dogs. The position taken by this
group is presumed to be based upon their many years of collective
experience. Many people who oppose the adoption of deaf dogs also feel
that the extra effort and commitment which a deaf dog requires is more
than most pet owners are prepared for and that because of this a deaf
dog may be more likely to be subject to a life of neglect, abuse or of
bouncing from home to home.

Many areas have local Dalmatian Clubs where a good deal of information
and assistance with Dals may be found. Most of these clubs publish
newsletters with information of interest to almost all Dalmatian
owners. The regional Dalmatian clubs are listed on the DCA home page.
__________________________________________________ _______________

About the Authors

This FAQ was a team project, written by Dalmatian owners: (Please feel
free to send us e-mail at the addresses given if you have more
questions)

JAN CRANNY lives in South Florida with her two adopted Dals, Domino
and Checkers. Both dogs get to enjoy plenty of long walks, and swim in
the ocean. )

CORINNE JAMES and her husband Bruce Biederman live near Corvallis,
Oregon with two Dalmatians: Kenai (Kenai Lime Pie, CDX) and Chamois
(Dalstar's Daydream Chamois). Kenai & Chamois do lots of walking and
running with their owners in the coast range mountains and also work
in their spare time on AKC obedience (Kenai, & Chamois) and
conformation (Chamois) and maybe someday tracking.
)

CAROL RUSO is a librarian who lives in South Florida. She is owned by
two Dalmatians, "Chili" (Spotlight's Chili Pepper) and "Buster"
(Spotlight's New Addition). They enjoy romping in the park, playing
Frisbee, and riding in the car on "mom's" lap (yeah, BOTH of them!).
)

SYLVIA STRAWBRIDGE from Jonesboro, Arkansas, shares her heart and her
home with J. T. (4/20/90 and deaf) and Sophie Tucker (9/14/92 and very
verbal). They enjoy long walks, playing chase in the backyard and
going anywhere in the VW Beetle. )

ROBERT VON MAYR (Paradox Dalmatians) lives near Dallas, Texas with his
wife Lynne and liver Dalmatians Rover (Paisley's J. Rover Brown),
Sable (Ch. Aviator's Impromptu), Bingo (Mythago Marksman PX), Henri
(Mythago Maserati PX) & Ch. Paradox Pop Quiz. The black spotted
members of the family a Ch. Paradox Country Style, Paradox Back In
Black, TCJ Paradox So Divine, and Ch. Paradox Ropin' The Wind. Robert
& Lynne are active in conformation and obedience careers are planned.
Tracking is something Robert is interested in at some point, but the
dogs aren't sure! ) or )

MARIA ZORKA founded Bell Ringer Dalmatians in 1969. She and her
husband Art, live in Decatur, a suburb of Atlanta, Georgia. USA. Maria
has bred many Dalmatian champions, including an All-Breed Multi Best
in Show winner. She has also bred top ranking Obedience winners and a
DCA High in Road Trial RDX Champion. She co-founded the Dalmatian Club
of Greater Atlanta and was a principal author of its Code of Ethics,
which was later adopted by the Dalmatian Club of Canada. She was the
editor/publisher of the 1980 Dalmatian Club of America's Commemorative
Keepsake. Maria also co-founded the Georgia Coalition of Dog Clubs.
)

Special Thanks to Art Zorka for his many hours assisting with
editorial tasks and computer/on-line skills.